Overview
- Ben Simmons is quoted in an produced but not yet aired ESPN documentary calling Doc Rivers “a piece of s—” and saying Rivers “threw him under the bus” after the 2021 Game 7 against the Atlanta Hawks.
- The documentary passages were reported by multiple outlets and present Simmons’s view that Rivers reacted out of self-preservation rather than protecting their player.
- Simmons’s 2021 Game 7 decision to pass instead of attempt a dunk became a defining moment that led to heavy public blame, a 2022 trade to the Brooklyn Nets, and a long shift in his career trajectory.
- Doc Rivers left the 76ers in 2023, then coached the Milwaukee Bucks for two seasons and has not taken another head-coaching job since leaving the Bucks in summer 2026, with reports saying he plans to slow down and pursue media work.
- The documentary’s public release could renew coverage of the 2021 incident, affect how fans and teams view both men, and put new focus on Simmons’s effort to revive his career with the Sacramento Kings for the 2026–27 season.